Research Identifies Cost-Effective Delinquency Prevention Programs
This study from the University of Wisconsin
"When they're done right, certain prevention and intervention programs reduce delinquent behavior," Small says. These programs are much less expensive than the costs associated with juvenile crime. The cost of housing a juvenile offender in Wisconsin correction facilities during 2004 was $68,255 - a figure projected to increase nearly 20 percent by 2007. This does not include costs to crime victims or to society for future adult crime and incarceration.
In contrast, the average cost per child for the most effective prevention programs was well under $10,000 per year, or 85 to 90 percent lower than in a corrections facility.